Phycitinae
Guides
Honora dotella
Honora dotella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1910. It is endemic to coastal California, with a known range extending from Monterey County southward through the coastal mountains. The species is characterized by relatively small forewings measuring 8.5–12.5 mm in length.
Honora montinatatella
snout moth
Honora montinatatella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, first described by George Duryea Hulst in 1887. It is endemic to western North America, with documented occurrences in Arizona, California, and Washington. The species has a wingspan of approximately 23 mm. It is classified within the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of small moths often associated with dried plant materials.
Honora subsciurella
Honora subsciurella is a species of snout moth in the genus Honora, first described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1887. It belongs to the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. The species is known from western North America, with records from Colorado and California. Very little detailed information about its biology, appearance, or ecology has been published.
Hypargyria
snout moths
Hypargyria is a genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. It was described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1888. The genus contains four described species with a wide geographic distribution spanning Africa, southern Asia, Australia, the Americas, and the Caribbean.
Interjectio denticulella
Interjectio denticulella is a small snout moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. It was described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1887. The species is known from western North America, with records from California and Saskatchewan.
Interjectio niviella
Interjectio niviella is a snout moth (family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae) described by George Duryea Hulst in 1888. The species is characterized by small size and distinctive white forewings. It has been recorded across a broad North American range spanning the Great Plains and southwestern regions. Despite its described status, it remains poorly known with limited biological data available.
Laetilia
Scale-eating Moths
Laetilia is a genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae, described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1889. The genus contains approximately 16 described species distributed across North America and other regions. Laetilia species are notable for their entomophagous lifestyle, with larvae feeding primarily on scale insects (Coccoidea), a trait that has earned them the common name "Scale-eating Moths." This specialized predatory behavior makes them of interest for biological control of scale insect pests.
Lipographis unicolor
Lipographis unicolor is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. The genus Lipographis is small and poorly documented in published literature. Available sources do not provide substantial information on this species' biology, distribution, or ecology. Most online records consist of taxonomic listings without descriptive content.
Macrorrhinia
snout moths
Macrorrhinia is a genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. The genus was established by Ragonot in 1887, though some sources cite Barnes and McDunnough in 1913. It contains six recognized species distributed in North America. The genus is characterized by relatively small size and specific wing pattern elements, though detailed morphological studies remain limited.
Macrorrhinia aureofasciella
Macrorrhinia aureofasciella is a small snout moth described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1887. It belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae within the family Pyralidae. The species is known from the southwestern United States, specifically Arizona and Texas.
Martia
Martia is a monotypic genus of snout moths (Pyralidae: Phycitinae) established by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1887. The genus contains a single species, Martia arizonella, also described by Ragonot in the same publication. This North American moth is found in arid and semi-arid regions of the western United States.
Martia arizonella
snout moth
Martia arizonella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae and the sole member of its genus. It was described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1887. The species is known from arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States.
Melitara
Pricklypear Borers
Melitara is a genus of snout moths (Pyralidae: Phycitinae) established by Francis Walker in 1863. Species in this genus are specialist herbivores of cacti, particularly Opuntia species, with larvae that bore into cactus pads and stems. The genus is taxonomically contentious, with some sources treating it as a synonym of Zophodia while others retain it as valid. Melitara species serve as hosts for parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae, and have been studied in the context of biological control of invasive cacti and as potential competitors to the invasive South American cactus moth Cactoblastis cactorum.
Melitara texana
Texas snout moth
Melitara texana is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, described by Herbert H. Neunzig in 1997. The species is known from southern Texas and adjacent Mexico. Its larvae are specialized feeders on Opuntia lindheimeri var. lindheimeri, a prickly pear cactus species.
Meroptera
Meroptera is a genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. It was established by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1882. The genus contains six described species distributed in North America, including the southwestern United States and Cuba. Species in this genus are small moths with characteristic pyralid morphology.
Meroptera abditiva
Meroptera abditiva is a species of snout moth (family Pyralidae) described by Carl Heinrich in 1956. It belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of small moths commonly known as knot-horn moths. The species is documented from multiple localities across eastern and central North America. Available records suggest it is a rarely encountered species with limited biological data published.
Moodna ostrinella
Darker Moodna Moth
Moodna ostrinella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, first described by Clemens in 1860. It is one of several species in the genus Moodna, a group of small moths characterized by elongated labial palps that form a snout-like projection. The species is broadly distributed across eastern and central North America, with records extending from Canada to the southern United States.
Moodna pallidostrinella
Paler Moodna Moth
Moodna pallidostrinella, known as the paler moodna moth, is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae. It was described by Herbert H. Neunzig in 1990 from a specimen collected at Big Pine Key, Florida. The species occurs across eastern North America from Ontario south to Florida and west to Tennessee.
Moodnodes
Moodnodes is a monotypic genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. The genus contains a single species, Moodnodes plorella, originally described in 1914 by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. under the genus Ephestiodes. The genus was established by Herbert H. Neunzig in 1990 to accommodate this species.
Moodnodes plorella
Moodnodes plorella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, and the sole member of its genus. It was first described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1914 from specimens collected in Panama, and later recorded from Florida. The genus Moodnodes was established by Herbert H. Neunzig in 1990 to accommodate this species.
Myelopsis alatella
Myelopsis alatella is a species of snout moth described by George Duryea Hulst in 1887. It belongs to the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. The species is known from the south-western United States, with California as the primary recorded location. It has been documented in 335 iNaturalist observations.
Olybria aliculella
Olybria aliculella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae. It is the type species of the genus Olybria, described by George Duryea Hulst in 1887. The species is known from the southwestern United States.
Oreana
Oreana is a monotypic genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. It was described by George Duryea Hulst in 1887, with its sole species Oreana unicolorella described one year earlier. The genus is known from most of North America. As a monotypic genus, Oreana contains only this single species.
Ortholepis
Ortholepis is a genus of small moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae, established by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1887. The genus contains approximately 12 described species distributed across the Holarctic region, with records from Europe and North America. Species within this genus are associated with various woody host plants including birch, blueberry, and rhododendron. The genus has been subject to taxonomic revision, with some species transferred from related genera.
Passadena
Passadena is a genus of small moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. The genus was established by George D. Hulst in 1900. It belongs to the diverse snout moth group, characterized by elongated labial palps that project forward from the head. The genus contains relatively few described species and is poorly documented in scientific literature.
Patriciola
Patriciola is a monotypic genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae, established by Carl Heinrich in 1956. The genus contains a single species, Patriciola semicana, described in the same publication. Records indicate a restricted distribution in western North America.
Peoria bipartitella
Peoria bipartitella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. It was described by Ragonot in 1887. The species belongs to the genus Peoria, which contains multiple species of small moths. Limited information is available regarding its biology and ecology.
Peoria floridella
Florida Peoria Moth
Peoria floridella is a small moth in the family Pyralidae, described by Shaffer in 1968. It is endemic to peninsular Florida, where it inhabits dry sandhill and scrub ecosystems. The species has been observed in association with sand live oak (Quercus geminata), suggesting a potential host relationship. Like many Phycitinae moths, it likely has a concealed larval stage, though detailed life history information remains limited.
Peoria holoponerella
Peoria holoponerella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. Described by Dyar in 1908, this species belongs to a genus containing multiple North American species. Available information on this species is extremely limited, with only three observations recorded in iNaturalist and minimal published documentation.
Peoria johnstoni
Peoria johnstoni is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, described by Shaffer in 1968. It belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of small moths often associated with dried plant material and stored products. The genus Peoria contains multiple species distributed primarily in North America. Available records indicate this species has been documented through limited observation efforts, with 17 records reported to iNaturalist.
Peoria longipalpella
Long-palps Peoria Moth
Peoria longipalpella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, described by Ragonot in 1887. It is commonly known as the Long-palps Peoria Moth. The species has been assigned MONA/Hodges number 6042. It belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of pyralid moths often associated with stored products and plant materials.
Peoria opacella
Peoria opacella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, described by George Duryea Hulst in 1887. It belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of small to medium-sized moths often associated with dried plant material and stored products. The species is part of the genus Peoria, which contains multiple North American species. Records indicate it has been observed at least 68 times according to iNaturalist data, suggesting it is not exceptionally rare, though detailed biological studies appear limited.
Peoria roseotinctella
Rosy Peoria Moth
Peoria roseotinctella is a small moth in the family Pyralidae, commonly known as the Rosy Peoria Moth. The species was described by Ragonot in 1887 and was originally placed in the genus Statina before being transferred to Peoria. It is one of approximately 282 recorded observations on iNaturalist, indicating it is documented but not particularly well-studied. The species belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of snout moths whose larvae often feed on dried plant material, seeds, or detritus.
Peoria santaritella
Peoria santaritella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, first described by Dyar in 1904. Originally placed in the genus Ollia, it was later transferred to Peoria. The species belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of small moths often associated with dried plant materials. Available records indicate it is rarely encountered, with limited observational data.
Peoria tetradella
four-spotted peoria
Peoria tetradella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, described by Zeller in 1872. It belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of small to medium-sized moths commonly known as knot-horn moths. The species has been documented across North America with over 600 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Its common name, "four-spotted peoria," likely refers to characteristic wing markings, though specific pattern details require confirmation from specimens.
Philodema
Philodema is a genus of moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae, established by Heinrich in 1956. The genus is poorly documented in scientific literature, with minimal information available about its constituent species. Records indicate at least one species, Brachmia philodema (described from Yunnan, China by Meyrick in 1938), was later placed in this genus, though taxonomic placement remains uncertain. The genus belongs to a diverse group of small moths commonly known as snout moths.
Phobus curvatella
Phobus curvatella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. Described by Ragonot in 1887, this species is among the least documented members of its genus. The genus Phobus contains relatively few described species, and most remain poorly known in terms of biology and distribution.
Phobus incertus
Phobus incertus is a species of pyralid moth in the subfamily Phycitinae, described by Heinrich in 1956. The genus Phobus belongs to the diverse snout moth family Pyralidae, a group characterized by their labial palps that project forward like a snout. Beyond its taxonomic placement and original description, specific biological information for this species remains undocumented in available literature.
Phycitini
Phycitini is a tribe of small moths within the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae. Members are commonly known as snout moths due to their prominent labial palps. The tribe contains numerous genera and is one of the most species-rich groups within the Pyralidae. Many species are associated with dried plant material and stored products.
Phycitodes
Phycitodes is a genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae, established by George Hampson in 1917. The genus contains approximately 18 described species distributed across the Palearctic and Nearctic regions. At least one species, Phycitodes subcretacella, has been documented feeding on the invasive weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed), suggesting potential ecological significance in biological control contexts.
Phycitodes reliquellum
Phycitodes reliquellum is a synonym of Phycitodes albatella, a small moth in the family Pyralidae. The name was described by Dyar in 1904 but is no longer accepted as a valid species. Records indicate occurrence in the Azores archipelago (Corvo, Faial, Flores, Graciosa, and Pico islands).
Pima
Pima is a genus of snout moths in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae, and tribe Phycitini. It was described by George Duryea Hulst in 1888. The genus is part of the diverse snout moth fauna, with approximately 550 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Members of this genus are found in northern Europe, with confirmed distribution records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Pima albiplagiatella
White-edged Pima Moth, Beach Pea Borer
A small snout moth with a wingspan of approximately 20 mm, described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1874. The species has one generation per year. Larvae are specialized feeders on Astragalus and Lathyrus species (legumes), with documented hosts including Astragalus allochrous, A. thurberi, A. wootonii, and unspecified Lathyrus species.
Pima albocostalis
Pima albocostalis is a species of snout moth (family Pyralidae, subfamily Phycitinae) occurring in western North America. The species was described by Hulst in 1890 and is currently recognized as a synonym of Pima albocostalialis. It has been documented from California, Colorado, Utah, Alberta, and British Columbia. Like other pyralid moths, adults likely possess the characteristic snout-like labial palps that give the family its common name.
Pima boisduvaliella
Silver-edged Knot-horn
Pima boisduvaliella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, commonly known as the Silver-edged Knot-horn. It has a broad distribution spanning most of Europe, parts of Asia, and northern North America. The species is notable for its larval feeding behavior inside the pods of leguminous host plants.
Pima fosterella
snout moth
Pima fosterella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae, first described by Hulst in 1888. It is known from western North America, with records from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. As a member of the Phycitinae subfamily, it belongs to a diverse group of small moths commonly referred to as snout moths due to their elongated labial palps.
Pima granitella
snout moth
Pima granitella is a species of snout moth in the family Pyralidae. Adults have a wingspan of approximately 29 mm. The species has one to two generations per year in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Larvae develop within legumes of host plants, feeding on seeds.
Pima occidentalis
snout moth
Pima occidentalis is a species of snout moth (family Pyralidae) native to the southwestern United States. The species was formerly treated as a subspecies of Pima albiplagiatella but is now recognized as distinct. Larvae are specialized feeders on Astragalus and Lathyrus species. Populations in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona produce two generations annually.
Pimodes
Pimodes is a genus of snout moths (Pyralidae) in the subfamily Phycitinae, described by Blanchard in 1976. The genus contains very few documented species and remains poorly known, with minimal published biological or ecological information. Records are sparse, with only two observations documented on iNaturalist.
Polopeustis arctiella
Polopeustis arctiella is a small snout moth in the family Pyralidae, described by Gibson in 1920. It is restricted to northern North America, with records from the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba, as well as the territory of Nunavut. The species has a wingspan of approximately 22 mm. It belongs to the subfamily Phycitinae, a diverse group of pyralid moths whose larvae often feed on stored products or plant materials.